Routes into medicine
There are three routes at Nottingham by which medical students graduate as doctors. Here are the links to each course's prospectus page:
More detailed information on each course can be found by clicking on the appropriate course title in the menu selection on the left.
The educational objectives of the three courses are to acquire the knowledge, skills and behaviour to allow graduates to practise as a foundation doctor upon successful completion of the above courses.
Outcome of the Medical Courses
At the end of the A100 (undergraduate) and A101(graduate) courses you will receive your Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (BM BS) degree which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ). Holding a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the General Medical Council, subject only to its acceptance that there are no Fitness to Practise concerns that need consideration. Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year 1 posts: the law does not allow provisionally registered doctors to undertake any other type of work.
To obtain a Foundation Year 1 post you will need to apply during the final year of your undergraduate course through the UK Foundation Programme Office selection scheme, which allocates these posts to graduates on a competitive basis. So far, all suitably qualified UK graduates have found a place on the Foundation Year 1 programme, but this cannot be guaranteed, for instance if there were to be an increased number of competitive applications from non-UK graduates.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year 1 programme is normally achieved within 12 months and is marked by the award of a Certificate of Experience. You will then be eligible to apply for full registration with the General Medical Council. You will need full registration with a licence to practise for unsupervised medical practice in the NHS or private practice in the UK.
Although this information is currently correct, students need to be aware that regulations in this area may change from time to time.
Your Medical Career
The NHS National Medical Careers website www.medical careers.nhs.uk contains lots of valuable information to assist you in planning your medical career.
Download a prospectus 
Structure of the medical courses
Click on the links below for further information about each study area.
(A108) six-year undergraduate entry medicine with foundation year
The six-year Medicine with a Foundation Year has been designed to widen access to higher education. Students who successfully meet the progression requirements of the Foundation Year will then join year-one students on the (A100) five-year undergraduate entry medicine course. Information on the Year 0 modules
Click on the links for further information about each study area.
(A100) five-year undergraduate entry medicine
A five year review of all medical courses is being carried out at present which may result in changes made to the structure and modules of our programmes.
Structure of A100 medicine.
Years 1 and 2 (Semesters 1-4)
In the first two years of the 5-year course basic medical science is taught as a series of courses organised into four concurrent themes:
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Theme A - Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Medicine ('The Cell')
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Theme B - Human Structure and Function ('The Person')
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Theme C - Health Care in the Community ('The Community')
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Theme D - Early Clinical and Professional Development ('The Doctor').
On an individual level and within the context of the community, our system-based courses are intended to provide an understanding of:
Clinical and pathological aspects are incorporated throughout, providing a link with the clinical studies in later years. In parallel, the course provides teaching aimed at development of students' personal and professional skills. In the 4th semester you choose additional studies in Advanced Biomedical Science from a range of options
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Clinical and professional development
Early Clinical Experience
Integration of science and clinical practice starts at the beginning of the course. Through a series of lectures, seminars and visits to general practices and hospitals, you are familiarised with patient contact and learn the principles of clinical history taking and examination. You learn about common medical problems and the patient/doctor relationship.
Personal and Professional Development
This curricular theme aims to strengthen and develop the personal and professional skills of students essential to being a good doctor. These include:
Through patient contact in your Early Clinical Experience session (above) you are encouraged to reflect on clinical governance, ethical, medico-legal and managerial issues as well as contemporary themes of health promotion, rehabilitation and palliative care. This theme continues throughout the course and includes career guidance.
Year 3 (Semester 5)
Further information on year 3 preclinical phase
As a five year student at Nottingham, you will undertake an integrated research based project of your choice and receive a BMedSci at the end of your third year. During this project you learn to appraise scientific papers and to use research methods - these are transferrable skills that can be applied in medical practice.
The research is supported by a methods course showing how new knowledge is gained, how evidence is assessed and how hypotheses may be tested. In addition, there are a number of specialised discipline-based taught modules
(A101) four-year Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM)
Students are based in a purpose-built medical school building on the Derby City Hospital campus for the first 18 months of their course. For the Clinical Years (below) these students combine with the students from the 5-year course and participate in the same modules/attachments in a variety of clinical sites in the East Midlands.
First 18 months
Further information on the first 18 months
This course aims to widen access to a broader range of applicants than school leavers with A-levels. It is intended to build on the intellectual skills acquired by students who have undertaken a first degree. The 18 months in Derby will be a Problem Based Learning (PBL) course in which small groups of students use case studies to explore clinical scenarios. Early Clinical Experience will be provided in clinical settings and Personal and Professional Development will be encouraged in similar ways as on the 5-year course.
Later medical studies
Students from both medicine courses join together to complete the final years of their course. During the Clinical Years, students rotate through a series of placements at major teaching hospitals within the region ─ Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Mansfield and Lincolnshire. These placements provide extensive experience of a wide range of clinical settings.
Clinical phase 1 ─ clinical practice
Year 3 ─ Semesters 6 (undergraduate entry course) and Year 2 (GEM course)
Clinical practice (Medicine & Surgery) and Community follow-up project, and Infection. Further information on clinical phase 1 .
After you have completed your basic medical sciences training, you will undertake a 17 week course completing modules in Clinical Practice (Medicine & Surgery) and Community Follow-Up, and Infection. This period represents the start of intensive clinical teaching and experience.
The aim is to provide core knowledge and related clinical skills in the common or important conditions, especially within the fields of medicine and surgery. Following an intensive induction course, teaching is primarily of two types:
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small-group teaching by specialists
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attachments to clinical firms where students gain experience in history taking, examination and note keeping.
You are encouraged to consider the wider aspects of healthcare of patients within the community and in the home.
Clinical phase 2
Year 4 (undergraduate entry course) and Year 3 (GEM course)
Child health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Health Care of Elderly, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Special Study Module. Further information on clinical phase 2 .
This 12 month phase starts at the end of the third year for students on the 5-year course and at the end of the second year for students on the 4-year course. It comprises two 20-week integrated rotations namely:
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Rotation #1
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10 weeks Obstetrics and Gynaecology (including Clinical Genetics and Genitourinary Medicine )
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10 weeks Child Health
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Rotation #2
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10 weeks Health Care of the Elderly and Psychiatry
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10 weeks Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology ('Ear, nose and throat; ENT'), Dermatology and a Special Study Module
Clinical phase 3
Year 5 (undergraduate entry course) and Year 4 (GEM course)
Advanced Clinical Experience (Medicine, Surgery, Musculoskeletal Disorders and Disability) Primary Care, Module on Critically Ill Patient, Medical Assistantship, Elective Study Period, Preparation and shadowing for Foundation Years. Further information on clinical phase 3.
In your final year you undertake the Advance Clinical Experience (ACE) Course (36 weeks), an elective period of study (9 weeks) and a preparation course for a new doctor (4 weeks). During the ACE course you will rotate through:
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Medicine
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Surgery
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Musculoskeletal Disorders and Disability
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Primary Care (General Practice) and a Module on Critically Ill Patient (four weeks)
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Medical Assistantship (four weeks)
The number of final year students attached to each medical firm is intentionally small so that you can take advantage of all learning opportunities.
In both Clinical Phases 2 and 3 you continue to develop your clinical skills and knowledge and to apply these to disease management. Ward and clinic teaching is supported by lectures, tutorials and e-education packages. Logbooks and educational portfolios support the educational process.
Approximately 40 Special Study Modules are available for you to choose to study in Clinical Phase 2 and 3 (one in each). The objectives are to provide special experience in areas to which you have had limited exposure in the core parts of the course.
Elective period of study
The Elective is an opportunity for you to gain insight into medical practice in a different setting or of a different type to that which you have experienced in their training. Some students choose to pursue a specific discipline in more depth, while others elect to go overseas to experience the differences in medical care in a different culture and society.
Preparation course for New Doctor
The main aim of this course is to support the transition from student to Foundation training as a new (junior) doctor. The course comprises an intensive 2-week revision course of lectures, seminars and workshops covering areas such as:
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management of acute medical and surgical emergencies
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practical aspects of prescribing
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dealing with complaints
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the doctor as a patient
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the doctor and the law
A further two weeks are spent 'shadowing' the year one Foundation physician or surgeon post which the student will be starting after graduation.
There is a full curriculum review ongoing to meet the requirements of the General Medical Council specified in 'Tomorrow's Doctors 2009'. Therefore some of the elements of the programme as presently specified are likely to change.
General information
Career guidance
You receive advice about your career options throughout the course.
Pastoral support
You will be allocated a personal tutor for the duration of your course who will provide personal pastoral support.
E-learning
The Medical Education Unit (MEU) offers an e-learning facility to students on the undergraduate medical course.
Health note
You are required to have your immunity status for Hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and rubella checked on entry and offers are made subject to the results of these checks. GMC guidelines on Fitness to Practice for doctors who are chronic carriers can change and prospective students should be aware of the uncertainty and check our website for current information.
Postgraduate education
Following graduation with the BM BS degree, you are required to undergo a further two years of Foundation doctor training. Full registration is granted by the GMC at the end of the first year of this training.
From April 1985, non-British nationals graduating from UK medical schools have been subject to work permit restrictions, but can spend their Foundation doctor training and up to four years of post-graduate training in the UK.
Professional behaviour and fitness to practise
Medical students need to be aware of the importance of their behaviour in all aspects of their life both at University and in their own time. This document offers guidance for medical students on professional behaviour and sets out some areas of misconduct and examples which could lead to sanctions being imposed. It also describes the procedures which have been put in place by the University to ensure that it meets its obligation to identify students who give serious cause for concern and to prevent unfit students from graduating.
Medical student contract
Students will need to sign a contract with the Medical School when they are first admitted on to a medical course. This contract sets out a code of practice relating to professional attitudes and behaviour.
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Medical student contract
Term dates